


Request

by wideeyedaxolotl



Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: M/M, Maybe post game ish?, Nothing majorly spoiler heavy though it's...probably more au than anything
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-04-25
Packaged: 2018-06-03 12:06:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6610114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wideeyedaxolotl/pseuds/wideeyedaxolotl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Unsurprisingly, a poor nerd is caught up in another game! Luckily, it's not life or death, but the perks of winning are too good to pass up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Request

On an otherwise peaceful, low key Saturday, Neku received a simple text:

“I’m bored. Can you spare a little bit of your Oh So Important time to come see me?”

He didn’t even have to open the text to know, and feel, the impending horrors that awaited. A simple moment of their time always led into something. It was always something. _Always!_ It was nonsense to think about replying, and agreeing to some vague ‘meet up’ that would totally, definitely, end in a horrible day.

Some friend they were, huh?

Letting out a sigh, Neku would reluctantly make a response. “Alright, fine. I don’t have any major tests to be studying for. Where should we meet?”

Seconds pass before their phone lights up. “Aww, I’m _soooo_ glad you’re thinking about your education.” Even though they weren’t around, the childish teasing was evident in their words. “In fact, why don’t I give you a little something to keep your head thinking, hm? A little game, if you will.”

The immediate thought it to deny this outright, but..

“What sort of game is this?”

The curiosity was too much to simply shoot this down.

“Glad you asked! You wanted you know where to meet, right? I’ve got a place. But I’m not telling you where. Sound fun? Oh, I think you’ll enjoy it.” Before the boy is able to ask why, another response shows up. “Right, right. You want something out of this, don’t you dear? Find me in an hour, and you’ll get one request. And yes, yes, no tricks. Just a clean game of hide and seek. Fun, hm?”

Fun was a little weird of a word to use. But, truth be told, terming themselves as a ‘friend’ was a weird as well. Everything about them just spoke weird, really? Maybe that was one of the strange perks of being friends with someone that wasn’t quite what they seemed.

At the very least, years of knowing them had made the boy a bit smarter. “Alright, but you have to answer this: What happens if I don’t find you?”

“Oh, I think you know very well. It’s pretty obvious, really.”

Of course. If they won, they would have the same rights, wouldn’t they? They could ask anything from him. Anything. The near limitless possibilities of downright embarrassing him was too much! But the same could happen to the latter if he won, too.

And thus, regrettably, Neku had accepted to play this little game of theirs. Before the person could reply to alert him that the hour was starting, he had packed his things, leaving his cramped apartment and rushing to the elevator that lead them out of the complex. Seconds of waiting impatiently led them to instead bolt down the long flights of stairs, catching their breath once they’ve gotten to the ground floor.

“…alright…” He’d say, letting out another breath of air as he would straighten themselves, standing firmly. “If I were a bratty, inconsiderate person who, as of right now, is probably spying on me and laughing at my efforts, where would I be?” A good question that required a good answer, but sadly, Neku didn’t have the slightest idea. They could be anywhere – literally, _anywhere_ – in this city, and it obviously wasn’t going to be easy. They definitely would not make this easy.

The natural first stop is the the center of the city, though it’s not surprising that his friend wasn’t there – there was a lot of people clamming about to cross the streets here, but there certainly wasn’t anywhere to hide. Too open, and too bustling with people to find a steady place to wait at.

Truth be told, he still wasn’t used to the people bumping into him and making harsh faces at him. It felt so unnatural, ironically enough, to have them notice his existence. Unnatural, but not something Neku was 100% opposed to.

The next guess, to him, would be any of the clothing stores that were ever popular in the trend changing city – their friend was much, much more open to trying out new brands than him, and they could recall all the times they had shopped with them, exiting the store with quite more outfits than he had ever imagined buying, let alone wearing. However, aside from the occasional sales clerk asking where their ‘pretty friend’ of theirs was, the stores had seemed to be a bust. And it was then that he really, really started to believe that this challenge was impossible.

As if on cue, too, their friend had sent another text. How refreshing.“Just reminding you that you’ve only got 10 minutes! I’d suggest rushing, but maybe you should sit back and think first, hm? Running aimlessly into places just isn’t going to get you anywhere.”

Right! Stopping and thinking. This is very clearly a ploy to waste time! Ok, sometimes it’s not. But their rude friend didn’t even give them any hints! How was he going to think about where they were if they had no clue where to start thinking?

And then, as if by some means, someone – not his friend, for sure – had heard their inner plea to somehow survive this ridiculous game, they would catch the iconic mess of hair that belonged to his troublesome friend. Finally, finally! He had found them.

Finding them didn’t really end his problem, though.

After all, what the heck were they doing, sitting at a table in some stuffy restaurant? The whole place looked absolutely booked, too. This was definitely not a place that he could just march on in and take a seat at. Still, the objective was to find them, not dine with them.

Without a moment to spare, the boy would march inside. Before he could get a word out, however, he was stopped, being asked the question they wanted to avoid at all costs:

“Excuse me, sir, did you call for a reservation?”

“No…I mean, ugh…” A hand is pressed to his face, and then, abruptly, he points towards one of the tables. “Yes, fine, I have a reservation with _that jerk_ over there.”

“That’s not my name, you know.” They would hear his friend say, making a pouting sort of face – but knowing them, it was all tease and no hurt feelings. “My, I was wondering when you’d show up though. You’re justtttttt….” And they would pause, lifting their phone up to study the screen, “..a hare late for our lunch date. Really, I thought you’d be more punctual about these things!”

“T-This…this isn’t a date.” And yet, he would sit down, avoiding the amused glance of their so called ‘date.’

“Really? I won. You know what this means, right?”

And of course Neku knew. They could do whatever they wanted. Heck, this whole ‘set up’ date was probably just another one of their many ways to try and get a reaction out of him. Neku should had known it would of come to this, and yet, he was still just as baffled to find himself sitting with the person he very well wanted to punch in the face and having some expensive who knows what for some insane cost. Which heck, he wouldn’t be surprised if he had to pay for, to top everything off.

Silently, he crossed his arms – it was his turn to pout.

“The look on your face is _soooooo_ priceless right now.” Their friend would chuckle, lifting their fork from the plate. “But oh, don’t worry. We’re already doing what I wanted, anyway. You can ease up, dear!” It’s hard to tell if the smile they make is genuine or not.

“Right, right.” He’s really not sure whether or not to really believe this. “And then you’ll send me out on another game without any hints.”

“You could have asked for hints, you know.” His friend stated, ignoring the food to instead lean forward, watching the boy as he fumbled for more excuses. “I could of even told you where I was. But where’s the fun in that?”

“I can’t believe that you’d do this just for a meal with me, though. You’re always planning something.” And it was true. Ever since the moment they ’d met, there was always some ulterior motive, some underlying reason for the actions they would do. Having lunch with a friend simply was too mundane for them.

“Me? Planning something? Oh, please…this is just a date, like I’ve said. You’re rather entertaining to be around, and we haven’t seen each other for a bit, but I also wanted to, well…”

There’s a significant pause, and Neku had to make sure it wasn’t a fluke. That he totally wasn’t seeing what he was seeing. But what he saw was, despite the sudden appearance, a real thing that was, indeed, happening.

Their friend was actually flustered.

“Wanted to what?”

No response. Zero. Absolutely nothing.

Carefully, he would lean forward, waving a hand at their face. “You ok?” Did he somehow, in some way, break them? Was it normal for someone like themselves to break? Boy, did they wish they had this knowledge before! There would of been so many times where Neku could of gotten out of some strange situations with this person.

Deep in these thoughts, however, he didn’t expect his friend to press themselves closer, effectively touching their nose with his own. Unflinching, he repeats the same question to their friend, who’d only remain in that position, eyes anywhere but looking forward.

He goes to ask a third time – three time’s the charm, right? – only to be met with something other than words. It’s quick, but just long enough for him to register that they tilted their head slightly to the side, his friend’s delicate, but soft lips brushing against his cheek. As quickly as it happens, so is how fast they pull away, idly twirling a strand of hair with their hand as their face stared down into their lap.

The whole event not only leaves their friend obviously flustered, but himself as well.

Perhaps in the end it was what they wanted, as soon enough, their iconic, smug grin would come back, teasingly asking if they’d ‘want another for good measure’ and to ‘think of it as a reward for trying’.

But nonetheless, the expression they his friend – no, perhaps something more than that – had proven that maybe, just maybe, they enjoyed the company for more than just entertainment.


End file.
